I’m excited about this opportunity to share my heart with you, highlight an amazing story, and invite you to invest in multiplying disciples through planting churches. I am humbled and amazed at how God has allowed me to partner with so many people who are passionate about growing the kingdom of God. We are all multipliers!

Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). My confidence today is in this promise of Jesus, and I continue to be inspired by his commitment to his Bride, the Church.

Over the years with C2C Network, we’ve been reminded again and again that church planting begins and ends with Jesus. It’s all about his fame and his desire to make himself known to people who are lost without him. Now, as we have merged with MB Mission and together we are becoming Multiply, we’re more excited than ever about embracing today’s opportunities in mission.

I’d like to start by sharing a short story with you that explains why we feel so strongly about planting churches.

Chris’ Story

from Depression to Celebration

Chris Hyndman was living a nightmare in Vancouver’s West End just five years ago. In a recent interview, Chris said, “My god was cannabis, and it failed me. I had a complete mental collapse. I was hearing voices and seeing demons behind every bush. Even after I was hospitalized, I wanted to kill myself.”

In the midst of his nightmare, Chris was invited to a barbecue in his neighborhood. It was hosted by Dennis and Mistin Wilkinson who had planted a church in the West End called Meta Communities. That barbecue was the beginning of change for Chris. Dennis built a friendship with him that opened a door in his heart. Then, in the midst of his struggle with depression and anxiety, Chris saw Jesus in a dream, sitting on a fountain. Jesus said, “It’s okay, Chris. I’ve got this. Are you thirsty?” Then Jesus offered him a drink.

After that, Chris put his faith in Jesus and he has not turned back. Today, he’s living for Jesus in the West End with his wife and two children. Together with their new church family at Meta Communities, they are taking every opportunity to serve others in their challenging neighbourhood and invite them to find hope in Jesus. As a musician, Chris loves to sing and share about how he was lost but now has been found.

We plant churches so lost people like Chris can find Jesus.

God is moving in Vancouver’s West End and he’s moving in places like Quebec, which has historically been extremely hard soil for the Gospel and for church planting. Today, we are seeing hundreds of people coming to faith in Jesus and being baptized in church plants throughout Quebec. We are also beginning to see fruitfulness today in church planting efforts among First Nations communities as the Holy Spirit orchestrates repentance and reconciliation.

We’re also seeing local opportunities for global impact. As you know, Canada is one of the most multicultural places on the planet. The most culturally diverse city in the world is not New York or Hong Kong or Paris — it’s Toronto! More people are coming from all over the world to Canada than anywhere else. What are we doing with that opportunity? How are we working with the nations that God has brought here and how are we reaching those nations from Canadian soil?

Along with unprecedented fruitfulness, we are also seeing the Church work together in ways that we’ve never seen before. And we love being a part of that! We are working with more than thirty different denominations across Canada, so we are seeing Baptists, Pentecostals, Anglicans and others joining hands and saying to each other that it’s not about our denominations — it’s about the fame of Jesus and the work of his kingdom.

Since last year’s merger, we have been working together to see the Church living on One Mission - locally, nationally and globally. I believe that the Church is poised to make advances in the world like we’ve never seen before - an unprecedented harvest that will require unprecedented unity. As we work together as one Church, we believe that we will see hundreds of new harvest partnerships formed, thousands of churches planted, and millions of people encounter Jesus. Will you join us?

God has given us a bold new vision, a sense of urgency, and faith that he will provide partners and funds. I invite you to give generously so that together we’ll see millions more come to know Jesus just like Chris did.